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I want Corporate Team Works to handle my event.
PICNIC PLANNING
STEP 1: GET ORGANIZED
Start with a notebook divided into sections for Budget, Location,
Raffle Items, Party Favors, Food & Beverage, Invitations,
Activities,
and Games & Entertainment. Even for the smallest picnic, having
this
notebook will make your job easier and keep all of your important
info
in one place.
Get your picnic committee together and decide who will cover what
duties. It is important to have people on the committee who are
good
communicators and who work well together. It is also important to
appoint a committee chair who would be responsible for all final
decisions which need addressed.
STEP 2: Check Your Calendar
Since your employees’ families are going to be invited, the event
will
more then likely need to be held on a weekend. Make sure the date
you
pick is not a religious holiday, and unless you want to encourage
a
mutiny, don’t plan to hold the event on a long weekend or when
half of
the staff is away on vacation.
STEP 3: Determine an Approximate Head Count
Determine who will attend your company picnic and attempt to put
together an approximate head count of those who will attend.
While
there is no exact science to do this, we have found through our
experience that about 80% of those invited will attend. Multiply
that
number by 2.5 to account for spouses and kids. This should give
you a
number to work with which makes sense.
STEP 4: Establish a Budget
The company will give you limited amount of dollars to spend on
your
event. This budget will dictate most of your decisions. Make sure
to
remember Food, Drink, Entertainment, Prizes, Location Fees, etc.
Corporate Picnics & Events is an all inclusive turn-key event
company.
This means that you can call us up, give us a budget to work with
and
a head count and we will do all of the work for you. We arrange
the
location, provide catering, print fliers for your office, take
pictures, and more. We take the stress upon our shoulders which
gives
you more time to focus on other things.
STEP 5: Pick a Location
If you have had your company picnic at the same spot for more
than 2
or 3 years in a row, consider moving it. If you decide to have it
in
the same location as before, consider moving it to a different
spot on
the event site. This will give your employees a refreshingly new
feel
to the annual event. Try to find a location that can offer
privacy.
Many companies are having their picnic on their own grounds,
either in
a grassy area or in the parking lot. However, if you do decide to
have
it off site, you should attempt to find a location which can be
reserved. Who wants to police other groups and compete over ball
fields and other facilities? Make sure you have enough room for
your
group. It’s a picnic, so people will want to move around and kids
will
want to explore and run around.
If you are having the picnic in a hot month, find a place with
lots of
shade trees and/or pavilions. You should also think about room
for
tents. Make sure to plan ahead. Most public parks require a
permit
which start at about $20.00. The permit will ensure the spot you
have
in mind is reserved for the event along with picnic tables, fire
pits
or grills, and the like. Make sure to consider parking. You will
want
to have enough space for all of your guest’s cars which should be
within short walking distance. If this is not possible, you may
want
to consider a shuttle to help transport people to and from the
event
site. Some companies have chosen to have their picnic at an
amusement
park. These evens can be fun, but they lose the group feel and
may not
promote the cohesion which an event like a company picnic should.
It
is hard to get everyone together with the large space for all of
the
activities. Having a smaller site where all of your guests are
within
ear range of the DJ or bull horn creates the unity that these
events
are planned for in the first place. We suggest your entire picnic
committee goes to see the event site. This will help establish in
everyone’s mind a feel for the site and what activities would
work
within the space. This will also help give everyone a chance to
come
up with ideas on how to make the event an exciting one.
STEP 6: Laying the Groundwork
Get the committee together and decide the times of the event.
Most
picnics last between 3 and 4 hours. If you have people working
who
come in shifts, then make sure the event lasts long enough to
accommodate those employees. Next, decide on any themes you may
wish
to have. Though a theme is not necessary, it adds a different
kind of
spice to the event. Some popular themes are Western, Mardis Gras,
Circus Big Top, Country Fair, Safari, Luau, etc. You will want to
decide on food to correspond to the theme. Your picnic can be
catered
or potluck. Your budget will dictate what you can and can’t do.
If you
choose an entertainment company which provides turn-key event
planning
such as Corporate Picnics & Events, They should have you covered
on
catering if you so choose.
STEP 7: Activities and Entertainment
It’s a picnic, so every one of all ages should have something to
entertain them. At Corporate Picnics & Events, this is our
specialty.
We have many different packages and options which provide zones
of
entertainment for all ages, individual and family interaction
included. Inflatables are a huge hit with the kids all the way
through
the high school age group. Of course, many adults love to play on
them
as well. At Corporate Picnics & Events, we have the largest
selection
of inflatables to choose from in Arizona. All age brackets will
have a
fun and challenging experience with a variety of inflatables.
Carnival
booths work great also. They offer a wide variety of games for
all age
groups. Just like at the fair. Prizes, which are often included
in the
cost of the carnival booth rentals, add a nice touch which gives
all
of your guests an opportunity to bring home a souvenir. Frisbee
golf,
volleyball, badminton, bocce ball, and other outdoor games can
also be
a popular segment of your picnic. For the crowd that does not
wish to
participate in the more physical games, nothing beats old fashion
Bingo. You can choose from a simple set-up, or a deluxe set-up
which
comes complete with a professional ball hopper. Prizes are what
make
this game so exciting, so make sure to pick some great ones. For
that
extra touch, live entertainment is a great option. This could
range
from face painters, clowns, magicians, stilt-walkers, and balloon
artists to a DJ or live band. They can also come in handy to fill
in
the gaps between planned events at the picnic. Another popular
option
which goes over well is the classic family games package. This is
a
combination of old style picnic games such as egg toss, water
balloon
toss, 3 legged race, monster tricycle races, centipede skis,
stick
pony gallop races, beach ball hop races, and more. Ribbons or
medals
are often provided as part of this package.
STEP 8: Start an Information Campaign
Approximately one month prior to the picnic, you need to start
getting
word out about the event. There are many ways to do this such as
talking it up in meetings, put an article in the company
newsletter,
attach notes to payroll, e-mails, and putting up posters and
fliers in
strategic locations throughout your building. When you book with
Corporate Picnics & Events, we provide you a free event promo
kit.
This includes full color 11x17 customizable posters which feature
all
of the picnic information including pictures of the games and
activities which will be present. We also provide a smaller size
slick
to use to pass around the office. Be sure to let people know
about
what kind of prizes you will be giving away at the picnic. There
are
many ways to give the prizes away. You can have a raffle or you
could
even have a casino section where the employees play Vegas style
games
and bid their winnings on prizes at the end of the picnic. Most
corporate events have prizes and gifts which are given away to
reward
their employees in one way or another. They also boost morale and
show
employee appreciation. It is not enough to just have several nice
prizes or cash rewards without announcing in advance what will be
given away. Several companies worry about attendance if they
spend the
money and have a big event. This worry can be justified, however,
we
have found that poor attendance correlates with employees really
not
knowing what to expect, what activities will be at the picnic,
and
what prizes will be given away. Employees often respond better to
an
event which focuses on group and family fun, rather then the
individual activities. Pre-event activities at the office can
also
spark interest in the picnic. Give employees opportunities to win
or
achieve additional raffle tickets to win prizes at the event and
they
must be present at the event to win. Also, make sure the event is
located at a central site which is convenient for everyone.
STEP 9: The Big Day
As the stress and worries come to a peak, make sure to get some
sleep
the night before the event. Inclusive turn-key event companies
like
Corporate Picnics & Events take a lot of the stress away by
providing
all of the services which are required to make your picnic a
success.
In addition, they have their customer relations / Sales people
keep in
periodic contact with you in the weeks leading up to the event.
This
contact should include a map and layout of how the event will be
set-up, a timeline for activities, and courtesy calls. These are
added
benefits which we have found to take much of the stress away from
the
committee and employees who are in charge of planning the event. |
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Corporate Event planning
nationwide! CALL THE TEAM! 1(800)787-4FUN or
EMAIL US!
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